Treating Sad And Jet Lag With Natural Light

Jet lag and seasonal affective disorder (SAD) are very common conditions and thousands of people suffer from them every year. You will be relieved to learn that an anti jet lag diet is hardly necessary, neither do you have to take massive doses of melatonin or sleeping pills. If you are a person who suffers from a seasonal disorder, you will be happy to know that by using sad light box or lamp, you can resolve this problem without taking medication.

How can a sad light box help in getting over jet lag or indeed in helping a person to overcome SAD? As the days get shorter and shorter as winter approaches, the SAD sufferer will go into a sort of depression because s/he needs light . When there is snow , people tend to suffer less from SAD as there is so much more light.

Researchers are not yet sure about whether genetics or age are determining factors in the incidence of SAD. Usually people who have this problem are advised to start light therapy in the early fall when the early symptoms are noticed. The time of day or the circadian phase do not affect the treatment.

We need natural light and sun, they are part of our biological needs. Best of all, natural light is of course, plentiful except in autumn or when our natural biological clock is upset on a long flight. Table lamps are excellent for in-between times of day, such as dusk, when you don't want to turn the overhead light on, but the natural light is fading.

Natural light therapy is usually applied by using specially made lamps which will give lots of natural light (without harmful UVA rays!). Normally thirty minutes a day will be more than enough and the treatment can be continued until spring arrives and the days start to lengthen.

How many times has a holiday or a business appointment been ruined by jet lag ? It can last for days after arrival. Every time we cross a few time zones quickly, then we are likely to suffer from this condition. It can have negative effects on your judgement in a business deal and can also make you feel even more depressed when you are trying to get used to your normal routine, once back at home.

Your body clock will have difficulty in keeping pace with the fast speed of modern day jet travel so that by the time you arrive at your destination, all your body rhythms which dictate when you eat, sleep and even your body temperature will be out of sync. The plane may arrive on time but your body will be considerably behind.

The best way to recover from jet lag and a SAD, is to invest in a sad light box or table lamp. No faddy anti-jet lag diets which you have to start way before the journey and continue afterwards. Some people take sleeing pills which can lead to fatal blood clots. Melatonin has been known to be effective. But the best, most natural way is the sad table lamp.